Today David Plouffe sent out the following message to supporters, inviting them to attend one the many grassroots house meetings taking place throughout the country later this month:
Exactly one month ago, you made history by giving all Americans a real opportunity for change. Now it's time to start preparing and working for change in our communities. On December 13th and 14th, supporters are coming together in every part of the country to reflect on what we've accomplished and plan the future of this movement. Your ideas and feedback will be collected and used to guide this movement in the months and years ahead. Join your friends and neighbors -- sign up to host or attend a Change is Coming house meeting near you. Since the election, the challenges we face -- and our responsibility to take action -- have only gotten more urgent. You can connect with fellow supporters, make progress on the issues you care about, and help shape the future of your community and our country. Learn what you can do now to support President-elect Obama's agenda for change and continue to make a difference in your community. Take the first important step by hosting or attending a Change is Coming house meeting. Sign up right now. To get our country back on track, it will take all of us working together. Barack and Joe have a clear agenda and an unprecedented opportunity for change. But they can't do it alone. Will you join us at a house meeting and help plan the next steps for this movement? Thanks, David David Plouffe Campaign Manager Obama for America
"I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you." - Barack Obama, Election Night 2008
Read the full speech, as prepared for delivery . . .
Right now, while volunteers work to Get Out The Vote in key states, thousands of grassroots supporters across the country are helping out from home by using our online voter contact tools to call voters.
Our target today is to make 1,000,000 calls to voters in battleground states before the close of polls tonight. As of 1:00 PM Eastern, we've made 214,187 calls. However, our staff on the ground are telling us that we need to reach the 500,000 call mark by 3:00 PM Eastern Time.
These calls provide our supporters with information about when, where and how to vote today, and by helping identify which voters have already cast a ballot, we can dramatically reduce the number of houses our volunteers on the ground need to reach before polls close.
If you have even thirty minutes to spare in the next three hours, when can use your help. Simply select the state you want to call from the map below, and we'll provide you with an easy to use script and a targeted list of voters to call.
The largest voter contact operation ever attempted is underway right now. This is your chance to be part of it.
In Idaho, polls are open today from 8:00 AM until 8:00 PM. Anyone who is in line by 8:00 PM will be allowed to vote. You can find your polling location now.
For additional information or for any issues you may have with voting visit our Voter Information Center or call 1-877-US-4-OBAMA (877-874-6226). Answers to some of the most common voting questions are below:
Do I need to bring ID with me when I go vote?
What time will the polls be open on November 4?
Idaho polls are open from 8 AM - 8 PM.
What about voters with disabilities?
Idaho now has several options for accessible voting:
Electors may receive assistance to vote from a person of their choice.
Electors may ask a poll worker for assistance.
Each polling place in the state will be equipped with a ballot-marking device to assist voters who have difficulty reading or marking a ballot to vote privately and independently.
The ballot marking device is intended to assist the visually impaired, voters with disabilities and the elderly. Other voters will vote as they have in the past using the appropriate ballot for their county.
Visually impaired voters can use headphones to listen to an audio ballot and make their selections using a Braille keypad. The ballot marking device has a touch screen with a zoom feature to enlarge the ballot print and a contrast feature to make the ballot easier to read for some voters.
Additional instructions will be available at the polls. Poll workers are trained to help if you request their assistance.
Contact your county clerk for information on all accessible voting options, including instructions on how to request an absentee ballot.
After two years of hard work and dedication, we have three days left before America chooses the next president. We've come too far to let up now. Real change will not come easy, so we need everyone to pull together and get involved in our Get Out The Vote efforts happening all across the country.
In a speech on Monday in Ohio, Barack clearly defined what's at stake in this election, and asked all of us to stand and fight with him during these final days.
Don't believe for a second this election is over. Don't think for a minute that power concedes. We have a lot of work to do. We have to work like our future depends on it in this last week, because it does depend on it this week. In one weeks time, we can choose an economy that rewards work and creates new jobs and fuels prosperity from the bottom up. In one week, we can choose to invest in health care for our families and education for our kids, and renewable energy for our future. In one week, we can choose hope over fear, and unity over division, the promise of change over the power of the status quo. In one week, we can come together as one nation and one people and once more choose our better history.That's what's at stake. That's what we're fighting for. And if in this last week you'll knock on some doors for me, and make some calls for me, and talk to your neighbors and convince your friends, if you'll stand with me and fight with me and give me your vote, then I promise you, we will not just win Ohio. We will win this general election and together we'll change this country and we will change the world. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. Let's get to work.
Barack needs our help in order to bring about the change we need. So, sign up now to make calls from home, attend a phonebanking event near you, or travel to a battleground state.
On Thursday, October 30th, at 6:30pm MDT, Idaho supporters are encouraged to join an official conference call with campaign staffers to learn more about Neighbor to Neighbor and how they can make a huge impact for Barack in this historic election.
In addition to learning the basics of Neighbor to Neighbor, you wil hear from special guests who will talk about our ground game in the battleground states you'll be calling into. With just six days left before Election Day, we need to make sure all of our supporters head to the polls and understand what is at stake.
We'll be doing a conference call and a webinar (an online seminar), so you can follow along with the training on your own computer and ask questions. Don't worry though if you're not able to join the webinar - you can still listen in on the conference call!Here are the details:
Phone Number: 718-709-0659
Access Code: 690-655-339If you can join us for the webinar, RSVP now:http://my.barackobama.com/webinar28I hope you can join us!
If you can't make this special conference call, learn more about Neighbor to Neighbor by watching these training videos. Then, make sure you are signed up so you can start making calls as soon as possible. We have six days left to make a difference that will impact the next four years.
If you live in a non-battleground state you can play an important role in deciding this election in key battleground states. Especially tonight.
The campaign will be airing a 30-minute special tonight called Barack Obama: American Promises from 8-8:30pm EDT.
Tonight supporters are gathering at Last Call for Change phonebanks across the country, calling voters in swing states to tell them where their polling location is.
There are only 6 days left to bring the change we need.
Barack is counting on your incredibly important phone calls. You can make sure Obama supporters know where to vote on Tuesday. Their polling location may have changed, or they may have never voted before.
No experience is required. You'll have a script to work from, and our staff will help you every step of the way.
Last week, we challenged the Idaho Call Team to make 500 calls in seven days to help get out the vote in Montana, where early voting has already begun. So far, Idaho has made about 180 calls in three days. This is a good start, but we can't afford to let up now.
Your calls from out of state allow in-state staff and volunteers to focus on face-to-face, door-to-door voter contact. If everyone can find even an hour each night to make calls, Idaho could help make the difference in this historic election.
On Thursday night, Montana's Field Director Carrie Glenn gave an inspiring call to action for all the callers out there using Neighbor to Neighbor to make phone calls from home, or for anyone still hesitating to pick up the phone.
You can listen to it below:
If you haven't done calls before, I'm gonna ask you to pick up the phone and make a couple more than you really think you have time to do. 'Cause no one's even woken up on November 5th and said, 'I wish I'd done less.' We've got less than two weeks right now to actually make this happen and it's got to be a little bit more than you think you can do. If you've been doing a hundred calls a week, that's incredible, thank you so much for that. We need you to do 200. If you've never made a phone call before, we need you to make 100...
The work we do in this final week will decide what direction we take this country in the next four years. We have eight days left to make a difference.
There are many ways for you to have an impact on this campaign, but the single most important thing you can do is to talk directly to voters. There’s nothing more powerful and effective than everyday people reaching out to their neighbors – or in this case, people in a neighboring battleground state – and talking about why they support Barack.
The clock is running out in this historic presidential election, and in Idaho, we are focusing our efforts on making calls into neighboring Montana, a key battleground state where Early Voting is already under way.
On Thursday night, Montana's Field Director Carrie Glenn joined a special Get Out The Vote strategy conference call with Idaho volunteers who have been using Neighbor to Neighbor to make phone calls from home.
You can listen to highlights of the call below:
As Carrie Glenn explained, smaller states like Montana rely heavily on the work of volunteers, and your phone calls could be the difference maker in this traditionally Republican state:
I'm a field person, so I love working in states like the ones that are on this call. You know, small states where you win based on boots on the ground, callers on the phone... And that's the only way that you win. I actually worked out here for Jon Tester in 2006, he won by about three votes per precinct. So, the work that you guys are gonna do on the phone, and, if I can make a quick pitch, the work that you can do if you drive here and canvass is actually going to win this election for Barack Obama.
With the race tightening in Montana, Carrie talked about the chance to make an incredible statement about what this grassroots movement for change can really accomplish.
You know, people like us who live these states that are traditionally Republican have just sort of had to go along with being ignored by the national party, with Presidential candidates not seeing that there's a value in investing in these states. And I think the investment that Barack Obama has made in Montana and in this region is something that we should really show was worthwhile. The Republican Party here has been saying for months that they don't have to do anything, because it's a Republican state and we're wasting our time, and we're wasting our money. So it's up to us to show them that they were wrong here.
Your calls from out of state allow in-state staff and volunteers to focus on face-to-face, door-to-door voter contact. The key to any ground effort is clear goals, and in order to reach our voter contact goal on the ground in Montana, we're counting on supporters in Idaho to make 500 calls into Montana within the next seven days.
Almost two years of work comes down to these last two weeks, but we know what we need to do to win.
Nevada's State Director Terence Tolbert just sent the following email asking Idaho supporters to travel to Nevada, where they can make a huge difference in this historic election.
Next door in the crucial swing state of Nevada, there's a hotly-contested election happening right now. There are only 11 days until Election Day, November 4th, but we already know that this election is going to go right down to the wire. Whoever works harder for it is going to win. That means that the Nevada Campaign for Change needs your help right now on the home stretch -- we have to make sure that voters know about Barack and where he stands on the issues that matter most. Can you grab a friend or two and come to Nevada to help get out the vote? Imagine how you'd feel if you wake up on November 5th -- facing four more years of Bush-McCain economic policies -- and realize that you didn't do everything you could to help Barack bring the change this country needs. I know I couldn't live with that feeling. If you feel the same way, the Nevada Campaign for Change needs you to help get out the vote during the last four days before Election Day -- and if you can take off from work, the last seven to ten days. We know that face-to-face interaction with another supporter is the most effective way to encourage Nevadans to make their voices heard at the polls. That's why it's so important that we put everything into these last few days -- this sprint to the finish will determine who wins Nevada's five crucial electoral votes. We can't miss this window to change the direction of our country. Sign up now to let us know you're coming to Nevada.No experience is required. Nevada Campaign for Change staff will give you everything you need to succeed. Thanks for your support, Terence Terence Tolbert Nevada State Director Obama for America P.S. -- If you can't make it to Nevada, you can make a big difference by calling voters in a battleground state using our online Neighbor to Neighbor tool. Learn more and start making calls now.
Next door in the crucial swing state of Nevada, there's a hotly-contested election happening right now. There are only 11 days until Election Day, November 4th, but we already know that this election is going to go right down to the wire. Whoever works harder for it is going to win. That means that the Nevada Campaign for Change needs your help right now on the home stretch -- we have to make sure that voters know about Barack and where he stands on the issues that matter most. Can you grab a friend or two and come to Nevada to help get out the vote? Imagine how you'd feel if you wake up on November 5th -- facing four more years of Bush-McCain economic policies -- and realize that you didn't do everything you could to help Barack bring the change this country needs. I know I couldn't live with that feeling. If you feel the same way, the Nevada Campaign for Change needs you to help get out the vote during the last four days before Election Day -- and if you can take off from work, the last seven to ten days. We know that face-to-face interaction with another supporter is the most effective way to encourage Nevadans to make their voices heard at the polls. That's why it's so important that we put everything into these last few days -- this sprint to the finish will determine who wins Nevada's five crucial electoral votes. We can't miss this window to change the direction of our country. Sign up now to let us know you're coming to Nevada.
No experience is required. Nevada Campaign for Change staff will give you everything you need to succeed. Thanks for your support, Terence Terence Tolbert Nevada State Director Obama for America P.S. -- If you can't make it to Nevada, you can make a big difference by calling voters in a battleground state using our online Neighbor to Neighbor tool. Learn more and start making calls now.
Last week, Jill Biden stopped by the Obama-Biden Headquarters in Chicago to make calls using our Neighbor to Neighbor online tool.
After contacting voters in Pennsylvania, Jill urged everyone to sign up for Neighbor to Neighbor and make calls into key battleground states.
These calls will play an essential role here in these final two weeks, as they provide important information to field organizers and volunteer team leaders on the ground in battleground states.
To help you encourage your friends and family to get involved, click here for information on how to host your very own phonebank event. You can find links to training videos, as well as plenty of other tips to help you host a successful event. Making calls with others is a fun and effective way to maximize your impact.
With just two weeks left until Election Day, we need everyone to get involved and start calling voters and make sure people get out and vote for change this November.
Barack Obama believes that real change must happen from the bottom up, as ordinary people stand together to do extraordinary things. In this election, simple voter to voter contact will make the biggest difference in helping elect the next president.
The most effective way to spread Barack's message of change is through ordinary people reaching out to their neighbors and talking one on one about the issues we face in America. Our Neighbor to Neighbor tool makes it easy to get in touch with voters in crucial battleground states:
No matter where you live, you can make a huge impact in this election. If you can make calls anytime between now and Election Day, sign up now and make a commitment to join this grassroots movement for change.
Jon Carson, the National Field Director, is urging supporters across the country to get together for the final presidential debate this Wednesday. Sign up today to host a Debate Watch Party - or attend one near you.
The final presidential debate is this Wednesday, October 15th, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. It's the last chance for undecided voters to see Barack and John McCain side-by-side and determine who will bring the change this country needs. And it will be the final time before election night to come together in this way with your friends, family, and fellow supporters. Make the most of this opportunity by signing up to host a Debate Watch Party -- or attend one near you.If you've joined us for an event before, you know how powerful they can be to help build support and grow our movement. If you haven't, it's a terrific way to connect with fellow supporters and folks who may just be making up their minds. If you can host an event, we'll make sure you have everything you need to make it a success. We're having a special conference call for Debate Watch Party hosts on Tuesday, when we'll give you ideas for how to get your guests involved in the rest of the campaign. In these final weeks, each of us needs to do whatever we can to keep strengthening this campaign and encourage undecided voters to cast their votes for change. Sign up to host or attend a Debate Watch Party now: http://my.barackobama.com/debate-watch-party Thanks, Jon Jon Carson National Field Director Obama for America
The work being done in battleground states is more important than ever, and David Plouffe is asking for your help.
With only weeks to go before November 4th, supporters in Idaho have the opportunity to help us win Montana -- a key battleground state. Sign up today for a Drive for Change trip and help to turn Montana blue on Election Day.
If you can't make the trip, join our Neighbor to Neighbor phonebanking campaign and make phone calls to undecided voters. Every call, no matter the outcome, helps our field organizers do their job more effectively and brings us one step closer to our goal.
Are you registered to vote? Friday, October 10th, is the last day to register by mail in Idaho. Although Idaho does allow you to register at the polls on Election Day, you can take a few minutes today to register ahead of time and avoid any unforeseen delays on November 4th.
Visit VoteforChange.com right now to fill out your registration form and get other important voting information.
Also, remind your friends and family to make sure they are registered so that their voice can be heard on November 4th.
Last week, Generation Obama's Idaho chapter (GO-IDAHO) hosted a meet ‘n’ greet mixer for students and young adults. Due to the excellent hospitality afforded by the owners of the Melting Pot, they took over the patio for a warm, fall evening full of wine, cheese fondue, and high flying enthusiasm for Barack Obama. There were even people walking in off the street who eagerly wanted to become a part of this movement change.
Some of the attendees shared their reasons for supporting Barack Obama for President and why he can bring the change we need.
Justine, Boise State University student:
As a student, it’s very important to me that we have a president who understands how hard it is to pay for college these days. I think more than any other candidate in my lifetime, Barack Obama knows what it’s like to be fresh out of college looking at a painful student loan debt.
Ahmad, IT Specialist:
The reason I support Barack Obama is because he's inspirational at a time when people need a leader. Not just someone to fix their problems, but someone to inspire them to work harder, do more, use less, and come together to make a greater America.
In addition to mobilizing the youth vote, GO-IDAHO will be working with other Idaho for Obama groups to help make a huge impact in this movement for change.
If you can't make it into Idaho HQ in Boise, sign up today to start making phone calls into Montana from the comfort of your own home. Idaho has been asked to play a critical role in turning Montana blue this November. Every call you make, no matter the outcome, helps field organizers on the ground do their job more effectively and brings us that much closer to our goal.
Generally speaking, late September is an ideal time for outdoor activities in southern Idaho, with clear skies and balmy temperatures. However, this year was another story.
The morning of the race, it began pouring rain at 6am and didn’t let up until early afternoon. It was the first rainfall Boise had seen in two months, and caught everyone a bit by surprise. But as you can see, it did not dampen the spirits of those participating.
Idaho Women for Obama had one of the larger teams in attendance, and crossed the finish line soggy but smiling.
This Thursday, October 2nd, Idaho Women for Obama will meet for a VP Debate Watch Party at Franco Latino in Eagle, Idaho. There will also be a wine tasting, so be sure to RSVP today to join this grassroots movement for change.
There was news this morning that tonight's presidential debate will proceed as planned, with both candidates in attendance. Last night, National Field Director Jon Carson sent out a message inviting supporters to attend debate parties, and explaining what comes next for the campaign . . .
The election is less than 40 days away, and the American people deserve to hear directly from the candidates about how they intend to lead our country. You're invited to join a Debate Watch Party in your community and discuss the issues that are most important to you and your family, friends, and neighbors. Find a Debate Watch Party in your area and RSVP today. These parties will allow you to to get to know folks in your community, and continue building this campaign from the bottom up by reaching out to even more supporters using our Neighbor to Neighbor tool. If you can't attend a party, you can still use our Neighbor to Neighbor tool to reach out to swing voters in a crucial battleground state who need to hear from you. It's an extremely powerful way to build support for Barack. Whether you can attend a Debate Watch Party or not, it's a great way to connect with fellow voters. Get your list of potential supporters right now and start making phone calls today. Neighbor to Neighbor gives you everything you need to get started. As Barack prepares for the presidential debate, we'll be preparing, too -- by laying the groundwork for victory on Election Day. Let's get to work. Thanks, Jon Jon Carson National Field Director Obama for America
One of the newest features of our Neighbor to Neighbor voter contact system is the online phonebanking tool. During the primary, thousands of supporters used our old online calling system to make literally millions of phone calls that made the difference in hard fought primaries across the country. In November, these phone calls will once again be a key part of our strategy.
Here is a quick tour of the new phonebanking tool:
The phonebanking tool provides you with lists of targeted voters in your community, a brief calling script, and an easy interface to enter your results. You can print off call lists and make calls offline, or you can make calls while at your computer.
When you’re done calling, report your results back to the campaign so we can update the system and let our staff and volunteers on the ground know where are supporters are and who needs more information.
In the coming days, we'll be adding more features and more calling campaigns that will allow you to make calls to key battleground states. In some areas, you'll be able to make peer to peer phone calls to talk to students, veterans, women, Latinos, and other important groups. If you're interested in making peer to peer calls, visit our People page and sign up for the constituency groups and demographics that apply to you.
No matter who you are or where you live, if you can make time during the coming weeks to help reach out to other voters, sign up now.
When campaign manager David Plouffe talked about a "persuasion army" he meant nothing more, and nothing less, than millions of volunteers doing their part talking to friends, family, and neighbors one person at a time.
